1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 (Part A)

Christianity among some of the things that causes it to be so true and fiercest.

Well, it's decency is unmatched. All religions have some idea of decency but at some point they drop all and they begin to allow perversity science Christianity. What is found in the Scriptures when we speak of Christianity, of course were talking about the Old Testament and the New Testament, archaeology, wisdom and truth logic. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Ricky is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first Thessalonians.

Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching today. Pastor Rick will continue teaching through the book of first Thessalonians chapter 1 turn in our Bibles to Paul's first letter to the church at Thessalonica.

First Thessalonians chapter 1 we resume verse nine.

I want to start off by four introduce the section that I hope has something to do with what Paul is saying anything that contradicts the gospel for the Christian is a lie. That's what we believe.

That's what makes us Christians that also is what causes us a lot of grief in the world. Those who are our critics and detractors resent that we would be so sure and so absolute in our faith, though they seem not to mind when other religions behave that way, but we Christians believe that if it contradicts what the Scripture says it is alive. If it goes against the Gospels. It is a lie and backing. This statement is not a true though it is a truth God himself, but the eyes of man, it is not a truth or a statement.

It is a network of truths and facts is no other religion on earth as other religions simply insist upon their beliefs, but they really cannot take you to the well and show you where the water is source of their positions very they can be very mystical and very charismatic, yet they have nothing to back it up Christianity among some of the things that causes it to be so true and fiercest. Well, it's decency is unmatched.

All religions have some idea of decency but at some point they drop off and they begin to allow perversity science Christianity. What is found in the Scriptures when we speak of Christianity, of course were talking about the Old Testament and the New Testament, archaeology, wisdom, truth, logic biographies in Scripture. The prophecies spiritual validations that come not only through the prophecies, but in the lives of those who belong to the faith miracles. That is what many are just not interested in any of these things don't hang around long enough to find out these things are so come into it with an attitude that I'm not going to convert no matter what they throw at me. I decided I do not like Christianity want no parts of it and to those we knock the dust off our shoes and we move on the realization that that's not everyone. Christianity has been infiltrated by imposters and saboteurs and devils from the very beginning. Jesus said to his disciples. I've chosen you.

It is not one of you a devil that was Judas Iscariot there been many such and so why would anyone be surprised to find frauds in the faith, as though if you find a fraud in Christianity. Therefore the faith is not so hot.

That's my out you see this guy lied to me and he said is a Christianity. Does this up the whole faith is wrong that's convenient tactic of the devil, and the host of such a tactic feels good about themselves. They feel I got there, I can justifiably reject Christianity and go ahead and embrace some other or some other system. Some lying system.

In its place faith itself proclamations the revelations prognostications of the Scriptures are untouchable.

If anyone wants to sit down and seriously consider them. They cannot be refuted, and you know of today, the Internet is loaded with all sorts of arguments improves historical, archaeological, or just all over the board scientific about Christianity people discs are not interested so much that even Christians to not had about enough. I had only to talk about anymore dinosaurs I'm good. My point is that the information the arguments the facts. They are there, and it is not the solitary truth that makes it so there are these collections of evidences that no one else possesses and with very good with all this. I want to read from Peter's second letter whenever I talk about first and second Peter always try to mention the distinctions between the two.

One of the keys to having a a powerful Christian witness to preaching the gospel is understanding the Scripture and one of the keys to understanding the Scripture is to at least have an overview a working knowledge that is an overview of each book of the Bible, you may not know all the details to but you have a basic understanding of each one. So I always take the times they will first Peter. Peter wrote to Christians were being persecuted for their faith. And so when you read the first letter you get an understanding okay. He's talking to Christians that are really taking it, getting a pretty hard right now and is encouraging them when he writes the second letter that we called second Peter he didn't write he did not entitle it.

Second Peter we call it. Second Peter is the second letter of his that we have been in this letter. He's writing about the false teachers that have crept into the church and to Christianity and are doing great damage and while he is writing to these Christians about these false teachings.

He says that as one being there with with Christ Jesus, for we did not follow cunningly devised fables, when we made known to you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his Majesty.

I was there. That's what he is saying. I didn't make this up, I did not had go to some cave and come out with her. I was there I saw these things then it continues for he Jesus Christ received from God the father honor and glory. When such a voice came to him from the excellent glory, this is my beloved son in whom I am well please not be just talking about that day on the Mount of Transfiguration that he experienced there with Christ and to the other disciples and then he says in verse 18 of second Peter chapter 1 and we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.

Some of you have been converted. Hopefully all but maybe there are some that have not. You know the voice of the Lord. He has spoken to you at some point in your life. That is what is major conversion.

Sure, it may not have been something that you heard out loud at you and you knew it was God speaking to, and you can make the same claim we heard this voice which came from heaven. Then he continues in verse 19. So we have the prophetic word confirm this is what the prophets were talking about we live through it.

We saw it fulfilled and then he says which you do well to he was still saying we have the Scripture the prophetic word which you do it well to heed. Then he says as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is over of any private interpretation. There is no Christian that has the inside on God's word I got I got the new. Those guys don't know it. I know it I'm the only one.

Tigger's mentality. Then he continues for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit that is Christianity. In a nutshell, it is prophetic. It is profound. It has much more to it than just someone standing up and saying I am a sinner. Jesus forgives me I love Jesus and that's good. Now you need to receive it is not Christianity in its entirety. So this is where Paul was Aziz moving through Europe now as he's taking these beatings and being persecuted being laughed at and that is a pretty heavy persecution by the time he was writing this letter from Karon but before he got the car that he left this church in Thessalonica. He stopped off at Athens in Greece and he preaches to them, and they laugh at him. They mocked him, moves on, and I mentioned that to say we identify with that where we identify with all the Scripture with all of when I mentioned the biographies that are in the Scripture we identify with these people. To some degree we we enter into their experiences in it.

This alone is true is a validation of it coming from God because nothing else has the force belongs to the lessons coming from the lives of the people in Scripture as does the Scripture.

So in verse nine of chapter 1 in first Thessalonians. Paul continuing says, for they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. Now what we had talked about last session is that Thessalonica was in the middle of this trade route that reached the world. It was a hub and from Thessalonica. People would receive the gospel would be exposed to this little church and get on their boats to walk on the arose and go to wherever they were going throughout the Roman Empire and they would say was in Thessalonica and I heard this thing about this Jesus Christ to forgive sins, who was crucified in my place instead of me being judged by God, he took the judgment for me.

They killed him.

Then he got up after three days and one of the proofs of this is that these men that saw this that witness this and then taking beatings for I would not have believed it unless I saw that part of it because nobody would take a beating like that for a lie. If Jesus lied to them they would they wouldn't take the day would be so upset with them so disillusioned even us today. God doesn't do something the way you thought he should do it. You have to fight resentment towards God can't believe it.

Why did you let this happen.

How could you thought you were God is sovereign and you love me. Imagine those guys is what Thomas was going throughout careless I put my fingers in his wounds.

I am not believing it anymore been through the screen I have years of my life.

And then he gets killed know what to do with me, hovered around the disciples. What else could he do this was his life. 90 did not even know he had nowhere else to go. He was the missing man.

When Jesus showed up week later, Jesus shows up again. Thomas is there, my Lord, my God, this is a game changer.

So as this message was traveling throughout the world from Thessalonica. Some of the Christians in other parts of the world were beginning to say what is church in Thessalonica. Every time I turn around somebody's mentioning their preaching and that's what he meant. It says in verse nine, for they themselves deglazed on the mother church is a KR in Macedonia. Other places in Greece they been talking talking about you good things this testimony how you turned to God from idols know this is big and this is probably why when I go to get out of will finish the first chapter this morning and I get to the second chapter because how do you come to a verse like this how you turn from idols to God and then move onto the next verse without stopping here for a while.

It would be like driving past the Grand Canyon, which is better than driving into the grand But anyway the triumphs of the gospel in Thessalonica were mostly among the Gentiles because the Jews rejected. That's why when Paul gets chased out of Thessalonica.

He goes on to Berea and we have that verse in acts chapter and leave his 90s as they were these little 17 actually, these were more noble minded than those who were in Thessalonica in that they search the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so always talk about the Jews not the Gentile Christians is not talking about the Jewish Christians to the mothers, the Jews in the synagogues. That's where Paul would begin preaching it going to a city or town and maybe enter into the synagogue and he was start preaching Christ, the Messiah, the Messiah has come, they crucified him just like Isaiah said they would then he rose again just like Isaiah said he would and some of them would believe in some of them would not in Thessalonica, he said fine, okay, I'm going to go to the Gentiles, the ghost of the Gentile and the thing is about this turning to God away from idols.

They weren't reforming their religion. They threw it away. They embrace the truth you cannot turn to God without turning from something else that's called repentance, which leads to salvation, not out. Repentance is not just sorrow telling the world sorrow.

It just grieves its weakness. Repentance makes a move that is okay. I am weak, I admit that I'm wrong, it's me. Now what you want me to do it this Lord who are you, Lord, you, Paul said when he was converted what he want me to do so. One of the great lessons talk about overviews the Bible, the book of Nehemiah the great overview is that as a Christian you are supposed to fight and build at the same time. If you just build a visit while I am not perfect I make mistakes.

I mail I lose my temper my language whatever it is I lose it. Christ says will you need to keep fighting and then you say okay I can do that and then I want you to serve can't do that well then I will.

How can you build I need you to do them both at the same time with this line about who I am weak, I can't serve them by that logic, nobody serves now there are extremes where you shouldn't be serving you going to some heavy sin or some trouble and you need to sit out of ministry into God deals you back up again as I'm sometimes Christians stumble in sin and they resent that God let them do that so that fall away from the faith choices up to the individual. We were just saying I decided to follow Jesus. If no one else follows you. I'm following I'm not going anywhere.

Where else am I going to go. This is try came to you because it's thrown not because it was convenient, which is a story in Thessalonica. They stayed with Christ after their conversion from idols because it was true even though they began to be persecuted and so it was for the churches whom Peter was writing also in the northern regions of what is modern-day Turkey and Pontus vices like that.

So one thing that you must learn.

If you are a new convert to Christ. God never espouses peace with ally God never espouses peace with ally.

He does that assess ally to God lies Viper that will do you great harm is a lion that will devour you Matthew's gospel chapter 10 verse 34 Jesus speaking. He says do you says do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword came the fight and fight against the lies that Satan tells that leads people to hell to do this, Jesus you not here right now swinging a sword.

I have to be. I got my church. I have assemblies of them, protect battalions of them regiments, they swing the sword of truth. So repentance is a change of mind, and leads to action to change that always expresses itself in a changed attitude that's repentance. My attitude is changed. So when you find Christians to serving because everybody else's.

They don't want people to think badly about them that's not I that's less than ideal serve because attitude towards Christ is changed and what he says we know it means something would and it's it's to his glory. Yes, but his glory involved helping others. So the change of attitude produces change of conduct. Ultimately, repentance causes the individual to deliberately turn back from everything that is out of harmony with the will of God. That's the goal. If you go to your grave attempting this. You are saved is when you said about had enough of this fight that everything gets bad. Second Corinthians chapter 12 second Corinthians 12 Paul writing. Remember he is.

This he did not get to Corinth until long after he had been in the slightly doesn't write the Corinthian letter until long after his visit to the Colossians. This is years later, he writes for I fear less when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you, such as you do not wish list there be contentions and jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbiting's whisperings concedes to Maltz less when I come again, my God, will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced so what were finding out.

As Paul was standing up for truth in the face of those who were committing sin. It was, not backing down from them. Listen, if you have a pastor that's afraid of the people in the pews any of them get a new pastor is no use to you is got to be focused on what God is told him even though he's in perfect focus on exception to that.

Glad you laugh laugh. You probably leaving Raj that I had anything to perfect will, you dumb enough to believe that well.

Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 35 to you, it was shown that you might know that the Lord himself is God there is none other. Besides him. This is how we live behave ourselves. We repented return from the world. Return to God.

This is what they've done they turned they threw their idols out and they came to the Lord as we go to the Thessalonian letter.

We will be referencing the Old Testament to show you that there were many was a I'm a Jew and circumcise. I follow the Sabbath and I keep all the rituals and all the little gods that I also like on the side. Christian says that is anathema and so may we be careful of our alliances, especially the cyber alliances which is more which is becoming increasingly clear that it is as real as the real world. Reality around us.

Again, you go to a Christian site you see that they've like something that is foul and you see what you doing. How could you even put that on your your Facebook page. Your twitter page. Why would you have any association with this, there are better quotes there better people, better heroes, better sources out there than then this Malachi chapter 1. Now here Malachi. Malachi wrote this little prophecy after the Jews had come out of captivity because of their idolatry. God sent them since the whole nation to prison in Babylon and 70 years later he brings them back out and they rebuilt the walls. They rebuilt the temple the splendor and the glory of it was not what it once was but it was better than nothing and that's about the time that Malachi writes his prophecies and this is what Malachi has to say to these Jews who should know better. And this is what God through the Holy Spirit is saying to Christians who should know better. Son honors his father and a servant his master. If then I am the father God speaking of the prophet. Where is my honor and if I am master, where is my reverence says Jehovah of Holst to you priests who despise my name yet you say in what way.

We despise your name so that a cell come on give me a break you playing these games with me. I'm God you think I don't know that I would create a look around you.

How dumb can you be that the road you get that using my name and in your light on my face. You mock me and you think I'm too dumb to figure this out. It's amazing how a human being can can fall off a horse and be just about as smart as a donkey's foot spiritual things he says. He says these things to people that were supposed to be devoted to him not idols to this is one of the problems Christian who recognizes that my blessed devoted to pleasure and sin and everything that is I am to renounce and I will fight this young believer says well I might fight not same reasons you do are not fighting as I love Jesus I fighting eggs. I want control back in my life. Move thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of first Thessalonians cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry. Visit our website cross reference radio.com once you're there you will find additional teachings from pastorate.

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